White House Workforce Training Event

On July 19, the Building Trades and SWACCA attended the White House. IFCA's long-time member, Tom Clerkin, was in attendance!!! Tom, who is a signatory contractor, has been a stedfast leader at our association for many years; he is in partnership with two unions and is a supporter of his local apprenticeship training centers.

NORTH AMERICA’S BUILDING TRADES UNIONS COMMIT TO TRAINING 250,000 NEW APPRENTICES IN PLEDGE TO AMERICA’S WORKERS

Washington, D.C. – July 19, 2018 – Today, North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) issued a statement from NABTU President Sean McGarvey following the White House Pledge to America’s Workers event:

“For over 80 years, North America’s Building Trades Unions have been strong advocates of and leading practitioners in the Registered Apprenticeship system. Today, NABTU along with its contractor partners committed to training 250,000 new apprentices in our state-of-the-art Registered Apprenticeship programs for skills that will not only meet the demands of industry, but will also fully equip individuals with portable skills that will lead to rewarding middle class careers in the construction industry.

“As the preeminent organization convening apprenticeship readiness programs to compliment rigorous apprenticeship education and training, we support efforts to expand our proven model to other industries. A robust labor-management commitment to and private investment in craft training are vital to ensuring workers of all backgrounds including veterans, women and minority communities, can meet the demands of a competitive industry. We were pleased to participate in the Task Force established by the President and appreciate the opportunity to elevate and impart best practices from our proven and widely recognized model of workforce development.”

SWACCA Participates in White House Workforce Training Event

Washington, DC (July 20, 2018) -- Yesterday leadership of the Signatory Wall and Ceiling Contractors Alliance (SWACCAl) joined other trade associations at the White House for a Presidential event on workforce training. As part of the event, SWACCA pledged that it would provide at least 50,000 people high-quality career training apprenticeship opportunities over the next five years through the joint labor-management training programs that SWACCA members help to fund with their union partners. This pledge was part of today's announcement by the President to provide pathways to better careers for 500,000 Americans.

"We appreciate the priority that the President and the Secretary of Labor Acousta are placing on expanding the benefits of privately-funded, high-quality apprenticeship programs and skills training beyond unionized construction industry," said SWACCA president, Matt Townsend. "These efforts are critical to ensuring America has the workforce it needs and that our young people and veterans have the opportunities they deserve. SWACCA's member companies are committed to the high-quality, registered apprenticeship programs and advanced journeyman training conducted through joint labor-management programs. These programs enable our membes to deliver the higheste quality services to our customers and emplower our workforce to develop careers in commercial construction that offer good pay, benefits, and upward mobility."

SWACCA was represented at the White House event by SWACCA Board Member Tom Clerkin, President of Ceilings, Inc. of Norristown, PA and Ricky Estis, a Carpenters Apprentice from Toledo, OH, employed by OCP Contractors (a SWACCA-member company).